SEATTLE — One day after a tense benches-clearing confrontation, Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez said the situation with Astros pitcher Hector Neris on Wednesday night was "uncalled for."
Houston reliever Hector Neris shouted at Rodríguez after striking out the Seattle star during the sixth inning of the Astros' 8-3 win on Wednesday night, causing both benches to empty.
Neris started yelling at Rodríguez, who was visibly angered by the pitcher's actions.
“The history we have and I just felt like he went a little overboard," Rodríguez said on Thursday. "I get the part where you can celebrate and you can be excited and all that but you have to calm down and get out of my face with that. That’s something that I’m not gonna take that, not just from him, but as somebody I looked at being my friend. I didn’t appreciate the way he handled it.”
Rodríguez said the video from the confrontation shows that he was confused about what was happening when the benches cleared.
“Literally confused," Rodríguez said. "We know each other. Come on, man. We know each other. And when I saw the extent that he did, I was like ‘Why are you doing that to me?’ Like why? What is your whole point on that?' I was so confused. I watched the video and you can clearly tell I was not expecting that.”
The 22-year-old said Thursday he would not speak to Neris, who he considered a friend. The pair were teammates on the Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic team and are represented by the same agency.
“No and I’m not going to," Rodríguez said. "I would say he did (try to apologize) but it’s not something I’m not looking forward to. I’m just going to leave it at that."
“I feel like you always have to keep it respectful," Rodríguez added later. "I felt like I deserved a little bit more respect than that. The whole situation was uncalled for.”
Neris apologized to Rodríguez in a statement on Thursday afternoon. The Astros relief pitcher denied he used a homophobic slur during the confrontation.
“First I want to apologize to Julio, his family and the Mariners organization. I have tremendous amount of respect for Julio as a person and a player. He means so much to baseball and the communities in the United States and back home in the Dominican Republic. He is a great player and a better person and deserves to be recognized that way.
"Secondly, Julio has been a friend dating back to 2020, when we spent the pandemic working out together. We have had a friendly competition when one beats the other on the field, something that is customary in the Dominican Republic and especially among friends. My intent in going towards Julio was to get his attention as part of the friendly ongoing banter that we have had over the years.
"I recognize that last night I should not have gone towards him like I did. I did not mean to disrespect him, his family or the Mariners. I do understand how my actions could be interpreted that way.
"Last, there were reports that I used a homophobic slur, which are simply incorrect. That did not happen and any suggestion to the contrary is wrong. My mother raised me to love and respect people for who they are and that is how I live my life.”
Rodríguez was not in the clubhouse postgame and said through team spokesman Adam Gresch that he did not believe there were any prior issues with Neris. Rodríguez described himself as shocked by Neris' actions, Gresch said.
Seattle third baseman Eugenio Suárez was angered by what Neris said.
"From the beginning, I thought it was a joke because before today they have a really good relationship," said Suárez, who was on deck at the time. "And then he started talking bad words in Spanish. He started doing something that is not good for people who speak Spanish."
Suárez questioned why Neris felt the need to go after Rodriguez, instead of just going back to the Astros dugout and celebrating the strikeout there.
"Don't do that," Suarez said. "That made me so mad. That's why I said what I said to him and to them. I don't take that, and you've got to respect people."
This was the third benches-clearing incident between teams this year. Seattle's José Caballero and Astros catcher Martín Maldonado squared off at home plate on May 7. The two appeared to be at odds after Caballero called time on the previous pitch. After a swing and miss, Caballero faced off with Maldonado and the two exchanged words as their teammates streamed onto the field.
Another occurred on Aug. 19 when Houston's Framber Valdez threw a pitch at the feet of Caballero, which hit him in the lower part of his left leg. Caballero hit the ground as he tried to get out of the way. Caballero got up, put his arms out and started walking and talking toward Valdez, who responded. This caused the benches to empty.